A judge of a tribunal in Dhaka yesterday expressed its disappointment over irrelevant submission placed by a defence lawyer on behalf of an accused in connection with the cases filed over the August 21 grenade attack.
Judge Shahed Nuruddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 felt annoyed when Saifur Rashid Sabuj, counsel of Munshi Mohibullah alias Ovi, placed repeatedly irrelevant arguments.
The judge even asked Saifur to be alert in placing his arguments.
Meantime, the defence counsel yesterday for the third day continued placing his closing arguments in connection with the cases.
Ovi is a Huji leader and also a brother of another Huji leader Mufti Abdul Hannan.
Saifur placed his arguments for over two and a half hours before the trial court and sought adjournment of the hearing as he could not complete his arguments.
The tribunal then adjourned the hearing till today.
Saifur read out the confessional statements of Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Abul Kalam Azad Bulbul and pointed out contradictions in the statements.
Moreover, the magistrates who recorded confessional statements of Sabuj and Bulbul did not follow the rules of High Court Rules and Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), said Saifur.
Twenty-four leaders and activists of the AL and its associate bodies were killed and over 300 others suffered splinter injuries in the August 21 attack on Bangabandhu Avenue in 2004.
Many of the injured became crippled for life while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader, narrowly escaped the attack with ear injuries.
Of the 49 accused in the two cases filed over the attack, eight, including three former inspectors general of police, are now on bail, while 18, including Tarique Rahman, are absconding.
Twenty-three other accused, including former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy minister for education Abdus Salam Pintu, now behind bars, were produced before the court yesterday.
